Avanquest UK, a developer and publisher of business and consumer software, has launched a virtual desktop product created by Parallels Inc. to enable users to run different operating systems and applications alongside Mac OS.

Parallels' Desktop for Mac is the first solution that allows Intel processor-based Apple Macs to run Windows, Linux and most other operating systems and applications alongside Mac OS X without the need for rebooting.

Desktop for Mac permits multiple operating systems to run simultaneously as isolated virtual machines, allowing a full version of another operating system to run in a separate window with no loss of functionality, speed or features, and permitting favoured Windows and Linux applications to run alongside Macintosh ones.

Parallels Desktop for Mac can run any version of Windows (3.1, 3.11, 95, 98, Me, 2000, NT, XP, 2003), or Linux (FreeBSD, Solaris, OS/2, eComStation) or any other operating system at the same time as, not instead of, Mac OS X. The virtual machines can be expanded to full-screen or run in smaller windows as desired.

In addition, files can be shared securely between Windows XP/2000 and Mac OS X through simple copy and paste, ensuring ultimate usability between operating systems. This revolutionary software gives complete freedom and increased convenience for the user, bridging the compatibility gap for everybody. Non-Mac software, old legacy applications, Linux distributions and BETA releases can now all co-exist safely on one Mac.

Parallels Compressor technology, included free with Desktop for Mac, allows Windows 2000, 2003 and XP virtual machines hard drive size to be reduced by 50 percent or more, ensuring that the potential of Desktop for Mac is not constrained by memory and space requirements.

Parallels Desktop for Mac is easy to use, includes a printed user manual and a quick start guide, and is fully compatible with any Intel-powered iMac, Mac Mini, MacBook or MacBook Pro.
[We seem to have come some way since Connectix' Virtual PC. This is good news because it allows companies to try out Mac hardware and OS X with very little risk, allowing them (probably for the first time) to experience the quality of good hardware and properly designed software. --Ed].

Related links: (Open in a new window.)
www.avanquest.com
www.parallels.com

View printable version (opens in new window)
Back